Sinker device for continuous galvanizing apparatus



1944- K. A. ERICSSON r); 2,356,739

APPARATUS SINKER DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUS GALVANIZING 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed June 24, 1942 INVENTORS' ANur" AfQ/CSSON and W L TEA ZMAHLA,

Aug. 29, 1944. K. A. ERICSSON ET AL 'SINKER DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUSGALVANIZING APPARATUS Filed June 24. 1942 s Sheets-Shet 2 K. A. ERICSSONETAL 2,356,739

SINKERDEVICE FOR CONTINUOUS GALVANI ZING APPARATUS- Filed June 24, 1942s Sheets-Shet :5

INVENTORS A A/ur A E /assa/v aodMu TEE Z'M HL A,

fbe/i ##omey. i

Patented Aug. 29, 1944 SINKER DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUS GALVANIZINGAPPARATUS Knut A. Ericsson, Elyria, Ohio, and Walter T.

Mahla, McKeesport, Pa., assignors to National Tube Company, acorporation of New Jersey Application June 24, 1942, Serial No. 448,308

(Cl. 9l12.'7-)

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in rotary sinkers for continuousgalvanizing apparatus of the character illustrated in the patent to PaulC. Ely, No. 2,326,843, issued August 17, 194.3.

In such continuous galvanizing apparatus, the I cient sinker devicewhich may be readily incorporated in continuous apparatus of thecharacter stated, and which may be operated at high speed without thedelays occasioned by former devices.

Additional objects and advantages of our invention will become apparentfrom the following description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a continuous galvanizing apparatus showingthe application of our invention thereto;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section taken on the line IIIIII of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, A designates generally a tank or bathcontaining the coating solution, such as hot zinc spelter. The preheatedand fluXed pipes a are fed from a suitable conveyor lengthwise uponhorizontal transverse screw or threaded conveyor rolls 2, said rollsbeing disposed in downwardly inclined alignment toward the tank or bathA and being driven in synchronism with their threads in alignment in adirection toward the tank, for supporting and conveying the pipes inparallel relation toward and downwardly into said tank or bath. Theconveyor feed may be regulated to deliver a pipe to the screw conveyorrolls 2 for each revolution thereof, whereby said pipes are receivedbetween and carried by the threads of said rolls in laterally spacedrelation.

The action of the threads of the rotating screw conveyor rolls advancesthe pipes a in a longitudinal forward and downward direction, and at thesame time conveys the said pipes laterally in the direction of advanceof the threads of said conveyors. Hence, by placing the usualrectangular tank A in skewed position, as shown in Fig. 1, aconsiderable number of the pipes a may be advanced in parallelism into,through and out of the tank in diagonal relation thereto.

The tank A is provided with similar screw or threaded horizontalconveyor rolls 3, 4 and 5. extending in a direction transversely of thetank and being disposed to receive and support the pipes at in theirdownward forward inclined travel by the-conveyor rolls 2, the rolls 3, 4and 5 being submerged in the spelter of the bath.

Conveyor rolls 3, 4 and 5 are driven in synchronism'with the rolls 2 soas to maintain the pipes a in parallel relation, all of said rolls beingdriven at a proper speed to enter the pipes into the bath withoutappreciable disturbance of the latter, the pipes entering endfirst in adownward direction, permitting the complete escape of air therefromthrough their elevated rear end portions.

The angle of inclination of the pipes and the length of roll conveyor 3are so designed and related that as each pipe is substantially submergedin the bath, the said pipe passes laterally beyond the roll 3 and ismomentarily supported only by the engagement of its forward portion uponroll 5, the said positionof the pipe being indicated at a'.,

As each pipe or article reaches the position a, the rear portion thereofis engaged by and pushed downwardly in the bath by a sinker device B,said pipe pivoting on the roller 5 to thereby reverse the inclination ofthe pipe, elevating the forward end thereof substantially to the surfaceof the bath in position to engage and be supported upona conveyor screwor threaded roll 6, as indicated at a" in Fig. 2, the lowered rear endportion of said pipe engagingand being supported by an additionalconveyor roll 1 at a lower elevation in the tank. The successive pipesare then conveyed by rolls 5, ,6 and 1 onto similar threaded deliveryconveyor rolls, one of which is shown at 8, for final disposition of thepipes.

The series of conveyor screw or threaded rolls employed are driven atthe same rate of speed and are synchronized so that the thread and pipeengagement willmaintain the pipes in substantial parallelism duringtheir travel. compound linear motion, i. e., simultaneous forward andlateral travel of the pipes, the pipes are maintained in contact withthe coating material or spelter for the proper time interval. Suitableshafts and gears areemployed as shown to drive Due to the roll 3, thecam bein located in a vertical plane adjacent the discharge end of theroll 3 so as to engage the individual pipes a as the same are dischargedfrom the roll.

Suitable worm gearing H may be provided as shown, driven by bevel gearsl 2 from the common drive means for the conveyor rolls, including adriven line shaft 3. The speed of the device B is proportioned to thatof the conveyor rolls whereby the cam surface b of the sinker device Bmakes one complete revolution for each revolution of the rolls.

Cam surface I) is of spiral configuration increasing in radialdimension, the loops of which are extended axially-to function asfollows. The hub M of the sinker device is the initial point of thespiral and is disposed adjacent the plane of discharge of the individualpipes from the roll 3, whereby the free rear portion of each pipeengages beneath said hub upon discharge from said roll. From the hub I4,the cam surface b, in the form of a flange or band welded to one face ofa disk l5, has increasing radii to form a spiral circumferential surfaceprogressively extending axially of the device and finally attaining amaximum as the rear portion of the pipe engaged thereby is displaceddownwardly into engage- 'ment with the roll 1, as shown at a" in Fig. 2.

Since the pipes a are also moving laterally, the cam surface I) is flatand extended axially ofsubstantial width to enable the circumferentialcontour thereof to follow and 'maintain contact with the pipe duringsuch lateral movement. Finally, the device B has a cylindrical skirt orflange I6 secured to the other face of the disk l5, and with said diskprovides a surface portion of constant radius equal to the maximumsubmerging travel of the pipes, whereby the latter are maintained inproper reversed inclination until conveyed forwardly from beneath thesinker device. As the said disengagement occurs, the pipes will haveengaged and become supported by rolls 6 and 8.

Hence, upon properly synchronizing the travel of the sinker device Bwith the conveyor rolls, the cam surface I) will engage each pipe at theposition indicated at a as the same is discharged from roll 3 andsubmerge the rear portion of the pipe to reverse its inclination, andthence retain the thereby assisting in continuously feeding said pipesthrough the tank. Also, the sinker device may be of a ize to accommodateseveral pipe sizes without change. For example, one size of sinkerdevice may be provided for one-half, threefourths and one inch pipe, asecond for one and one-fourth, one and one-half and two inch pipe, andso on, thereby enabling the production of several sizes of pipe withoutchanging sinker devices.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated within the scope ofthe following claims.

We claim:

1. In apparatus for continuously galvanizing pipes and the like, thecombination with threaded conveyor rolls disposed to convey the pipes inlaterally spaced relation forwardly and downwardly endwise combined witha lateral movement thereof, of a rotary sinker device disposed adjacentthe terminal of one of said rolls supporting the elevated rear portionsof the pipes and being rotatable in a plane parallel to that of theindividual pipes supported and conveyed by said rolls, the sinker devicehaving a cam surface engaging the individual pipes as the same aredischarged from said roll terminal, said surface comprising a spiral fordepressing the rear end of the engaged pipe and progressively extendingaxially of the sinker device for continued contact with the pipe duringits said lateral travel, and means for driving the sinker device insynchronism with the conveyor rolls through one complete revolutionduring the time interval between the discharge of the individual pipesfrom-said roll. 2. A rotary sinker device of the character describedcomprising a cam having a spiral circumferential surface Whose radialdimension increases to a maximum corresponding to the total submergenceof the work engaged thereby, said surface being progressively extendedaxially of the device for maintaining contact with the work during atravel of the latter laterally with respect to the direction ofsubmergence thereof.

3. A rotary sinker device of the character described comprising a camhaving a spiral circum-" the device for maintaining contact with thework pipe in said relation until engaged upon the roll 6.

The sinker returns to its initial position through the continuedrotation thereof to engage another pipe discharged from the roll 3.

The sinker device of our invention has materially increased the speedand efficiency of condriven in the direction of travel of the pipes,

during a travel of the latterlaterally with respect to the direction ofsubmergence thereof, said device also having a cylindrical skirtcomprising a continuation of the cam surface and having a radius equalto the maximum radius of said spiral for maintaining the work insubmerged position during a continued lateral travel thereof.

4. A rotary sinker device of the character described comprising a camhaving a spiral circumferential flat surface disposed parallel to itsaxis of rotation throughout, the radial dimension of said surfaceincreasing to a maximum cor- I'eSpOIldll'lg to the total submergence ofthe work engaged thereby, said surface being progressively extendedaxially of the device and ofsubstantial width for maintaining contactwith the work during a travel of the latter laterally with respect tothe direction of submergence thereof.

5. In apparatus for continuously galvanizing pipes and the likeincluding a tank, the combination with conveyor means for conveying thepipes forwardly and downwardly endwise into said tank combined with alateral movement of said pipes, of a rotary sinker device rotatableabout a horizontal axis and positioned in the path of travel of theelevated rear portions of the individual pipes, said device having acircumferential spiral cam surface whose radial dimension increases to amaximum corresponding to the total submergence travel of said pipeportions, said cam being rotatable in a direction providing the surfacetravel thereof in the direction of forward travel of the pipes, said camsurface also being progressively extended in the direction of lateraltravel of the pipes for continued contact of the latter and said surfaceduring such depression and combined movement of said pipes.

KNUT A. ERICSSON.

WALTER T. MAI-ILA.

